An Unanticipated Turn of Events
by JaeStorme
Summary: What difference can one person make? The right person can change the whole world for generations to come. Sirius/OC AU
1. Chapter 1

An Unanticipated Turn of Events

Chapter One

Muffled voices roused me from a light doze, the loud thud of the compartment door making my eyes snap open. I stilled, carefully evening my breath to mimic sleep, the cold of the window pressing against my cheek, breath fogging the glass. I closed my eyes again, even though my dark brown hair would be shielding most of my face.

"Who is that?" a smooth male voice broke the silence that had fallen over the compartment, the distant whistle of the train cutting through the soft chatter of far-off students and their families to announce departure time.

"I think she's in our year. I can't remember her name, though," another voice said, this one a bit hoarse and raspy.

"Sophronia Cattorini, she's a seventh year Slytherin," this voice was slightly higher in tone but still male.

"What is a snake doing in our compartment?" the first voice growled threateningly.

My breath hitched slightly, anxiety tightening in my stomach.

"Forget that, I'm more concerned about there being a girl our age Padfoot doesn't know," a fourth voice exclaimed.

"Shut up, Prongs," 'Padfoot' grumbled, immediately distracted.

"I think it's more that he doesn't remember their names," the second voice chuckled. Three voices laughed as Padfoot groaned.

"Not you, too, Moony."

"You have to admit you were on quite the roll last year. I think you snogged at least half of the girls in our year and a few from the other years as well," 'Prongs' laughed.

"True," I could practically hear the smirk in his voice. "But I still don't recognize this one."

"She wasn't at Hogwarts last year. Nobody knows why for sure, but rumor says she was homeschooled for 'family matters'. Nobody seems to know what those matters were though," was the prompt answer from the third, unnamed voice.

I twitched uneasily. I went out of my way to not be noticed. While my year-long absence gained me attention for a couple weeks, I knew only a select few had acknowledged my existence any longer than the sensationalism lasted. I was not aware that this third voice was among them. That he could answer so promptly, like he didn't even have to think, raised the hair at the back of my neck.

"So what are we doing at the opening feast this year?" Prongs asked, dismissing my presence.

"Aren't you Head Boy now? It wouldn't make the best impression on Lily or Professor McGonagall if you're already shirking your duty to pull pranks," Moony reprimanded. There was a slight pause, then:

"Oh shit, the prefects' meeting. I'm late!" he raced out of the compartment as the other three laughed.

They settled down into a game of Exploding Snap. I cracked my eyes open slightly and discovered I could see they're reflections relatively well in the window. I had to bite back a small smile as the shorter, pudgy one got his eyebrows singed off. The other two laughed again before the sandy haired one regrew them with a wave of his wand.

The swaying of the train and the noise of the wheels on the tracks lulled me back into a half-sleep. I was distantly aware of the Marauders' doings and that they seemed to have forgotten my presence, only sending a couple of suspicious glances my way.

The door opened again after not quite half an hour of Exploding Snap, light conversation, and plenty of laughter.

"You're already done? Last year, the train was almost to Hogsmeade before we finished," Moony said.

"Really? It was pretty easy, we just had to decide who was patrolling where and when," Prongs said as he collapsed into his seat.

"Exactly, everyone wants to patrol the kitchen's corridor, but nobody wants to interrupt the couples who go to the Astronomy Tower. How did you get them to agree?"

"It makes more sense for the Hufflepuffs to patrol near the kitchens since its right by their common room. And we're taking turns with the Astronomy Tower. It makes it much easier to decide if you don't give them an option, Remus."

They all dissolved into more laughter as Prongs joined the game. My stomach tightened again as the explosions of cards and mirth filled the compartment. This time it was not in anxiety. Jealousy pricked at me, burying itself under my skin. I don't even remember the last time I really laughed. Why were they even laughing so much? It wasn't that funny. Had they been hit with cheering charms?

Sulking in my bitterness, I slowly sank deeper into the blackness of sleep, nightmares flickering at the edges of my dreams, but thankfully not overtaking them.

I woke when the sweets trolley came round and they stopped their game in order to devour several galleons worth of various sweets like a pack of starving animals. I knew that by this point I had been entirely forgotten about, as though the small corner by the window that I occupied had been removed to an alternate dimension.

"So, we never decided what opening prank we are pulling this year. Or does ickle-Jamesie want to make a good impression on his lovely flower?" mocked Sirius, catching the Bertie Bott's Every Flavored Beans that James tossed at him in his mouth.

"What if we did a harmless prank, just a few fireworks? I don't want to start off this year with a lecture from McGonagall about how irresponsible I am," James said. I arched an eyebrow. No mention of the Lily Evans jab. Interesting.

"Then why not just skip this year? I mean there is a war going on. It might be seen as insensitive if we just keep on like nothing has happened," Remus said, breaking off a piece of Honeydukes Finest Chocolate Hippogriff.

"That's exactly why we should still do pranks. With the war, a lot of people don't laugh anymore. We need to remind them that it's okay to be happy, even now. Especially now. We need to treasure the happy times more than ever. It's important," James said, hazel eyes blazing intently at his friends from behind his wire-rimmed glasses.

My breath caught in my throat and I was startled to realize that my eyes were burning a little. I had always thought James a bit of an idiot for all his intelligence, despite knowing he had more depth than he showed anyone outside of the Marauders. I could see it sometimes, when someone mentioned the war or he was talking to his friends and thought nobody was watching.

Honestly, I couldn't be sure why I watched. Everybody was interested in the Marauders. They were intelligent, loved to make a spectacle of themselves at every opportunity, and were brimming with the potential and confidence to change the outcome of the war. I knew more about the latter than most, but I couldn't quite convince myself that was the sole reason I gave them the amount of attention that I have. I wasn't even totally sure why I was sitting here, why it was so important that I sit quietly and let them forget my presence.

Perhaps part of it was just because I liked studying people's behavior. Discovering the true motivations and characters of people was a talent of mine that I loved to indulge. There is something so incredibly satisfying in understanding someone, sometimes a complete stranger, better than they do.

I was aware of the boys continuing their conversation, but I was preoccupied with my own thoughts, until Sirius said something that drove every other thought from my head.

"—still can't believe my uncle actually gave me all that money. If he wasn't already dead, my mother would have killed him. She and Regulus were at Gringotts when I went to collect the inheritance, trying to claim it for their precious little Death Eater," his voice got quiet, but it was all I could hear, my heart in my throat. "I still can't believe he took the Mark."

I bolted upright.

"WHAT?" I shrieked.

They all let out startled yells, the pudgy one, Peter, falling from the bench, clearly having forgotten I was here. A chocolate frog struggled from James' loosened grasp and jumped around the compartment.

"Tell me he didn't," I demanded, glowering directly into the grey eyes of Sirius Black. "Tell me I heard you wrong and he didn't."

At the continuation of stunned silence, I scowled and strode from the compartment, saying: "I am going to _kill_ him," as I stepped over the fallen boy.

* * *

I dashed through the train, shoving every thought of the Marauders to the back of my mind. I slowed as I approached the last section of the train, knowing that the group of Slytherins he'd be with preferred to sit here. I tried to be inconspicuous as I glanced through the windows of the compartments: empty, all girls, wrong group, _there_.

By some stroke of luck, Regulus was the only one who saw me, having been looking towards the door at precisely the right time. I raised my eyebrow as our eyes met and gestured for him to follow me. For a moment, I thought he was going to ignore me, but with a small nod, he rose and muttered something to his friends.

As soon as he shut the door, I grabbed his arm, dragging him back to the empty compartment and throwing him in. I turned to slam the door shut, but it wouldn't close. It took a minute for me to get it unstuck. In fact, I was putting so much effort into it, I almost fell flat on my face when it finally slid closed.

Catching my balance, I rounded on him, too angry to care that I had probably looked ridiculous. Regulus Black shifted uneasily, looking over my shoulder, carefully avoiding my eyes. I knew what that meant. People with something to hide always found my pale green eyes unnerving.

"Reg, tell me I heard it wrong. Tell me you didn't join _him_. Tell me—"

"I would be lying," he sighed, suddenly sinking onto one of the seats, propping his elbows on his knees. The careful mask he wore fell away, leaving in its place the scared teenager I knew so well.

A little taken aback, I settled onto the seat beside him.

"Why? I thought you said you weren't going to join, that passive support would be enough for your parents. Why didn't you come to me? I would've helped—"

"You had your own problems. I didn't want to bother you," he said, still not looking at me.

"Reg, I thought I made it clear that you could write me anytime last year. I will make time for—"

"It wasn't last year," he sighed. "It was just before summer the year before."

"Oh," was all I could say. Guilt gnawed at me. I hadn't really been paying attention to anything at the end of my fifth year. I still wondered how I had ended up with the OWLs I did. I suspect my parents had intervened.

"I'm sorry, Sophie, I'm so sorry," he said thickly, pressing the heel of his hands into his eyes, hiding the regret and fear I already knew was there.

I sighed, gripping his shoulders and guiding his head into my lap. He shuddered slightly as I ran my fingers through his soft black hair. I knew he was crying. I also knew he would rather die than let me see him cry. It was times like these that reminded me he was still a kid. However smart, however capable, however much maturity expected of him and his status, he was just a kid. And as far as I was aware, I was the only one who noticed.

We sat there for a few minutes as the tension leaked out of his body. When I felt he was calm enough, I spoke:

"Tell me everything."

There was a pause as he turned over to stare at the ceiling of the train. His eyes were slightly puffy but that would be gone in a few minutes, perfectly preserving his uncaring façade. When he finally did speak, it was with a slight rasp.

"Mulciber, Snape, and the rest started hanging around me more. Seemed like I couldn't turn around without tripping over one of them. Then they started inviting me to these… study groups after curfew. They would talk about the Dark Arts. A couple of times they had test subjects of the unwilling variety," he gave a rather inelegant snort of anger. His face twisted into a sneer before he sighed again, pressing his hands against his eyes again.

"I didn't know what to do, Soph. I tried to say no, but they wouldn't leave me alone. I managed to talk my way out of having to hurt the 'test subjects'. Then school ended. Sirius was off with his friends for the first few weeks. Mum was furious, kept saying how proud she was of me for having 'good' friends. They came over every day and dragged me to some place or another.

"Then one day they told me we were doing something special. We met up with some men, Death Eaters, and they took us to this mansion. We went down to the dungeons. There were muggles there, Sophie. Mulciber started it. He cast the Cruciatus Curse on the woman," his voice dropped to barely a whisper as he shuddered. My hand paused on the top of his head, holding him gently. "Oh Merlin, she screamed so loud. Then Nott took it up and before I knew it, it was my turn. I tried to back out, but one of the men said if I didn't participate, I would become a liability. The look he was giving me, Soph. He wanted nothing more than for me to say no just so he could have the pleasure of killing me."

"I'm not like you and Sirius. I'm not courageous, I was too scared. I had no choice."

Silence filled the compartment. I couldn't say anything. I tried to open my mouth, but it was glued shut. After a few minutes, I managed to choke out:

"Courage isn't not feeling fear, Reg. It…It's having a goal and sticking to it, no matter what. Courage isn't as obscure as people make out to be."

He snorted. "Says you. You—"

"Regulus, what is the point of your life?" I interrupted.

"What?" He turned his head to stare at me.

"You heard me. What is your reason to live? Why do you exist?"

"To continue the Black line and traditions," he recited.

"No, that would be your mother's reason for you to be alive. What's yours?

"I…I don't know. I've never really thought about it…" he trailed off, his brow furrowing.

"Up until six months ago, my life's purpose was to be there for my sister as much as I could. You think my pig-headed, Pureblood Idealist parents would let me taint my sister if I were to be in any house other than Slytherin?" my voice was thick with derision and bitterness. "I wouldn't be able to take care of her if I was in the dungeons during every holiday break. So I convinced the Sorting Hat that I was cunning enough to come up with a plan that let me express the nobility and loyalty that should have landed me in Gryffindor. That my ambition merely coincided with Gryffindor traits.

"I was a hat stall. It took almost seven minutes before the Hat just asked if I was sure I wanted to mess with fate like this," a dark chuckle I didn't feel bubbled from my throat. "I told him I didn't care about Fate, I cared about Madeleine.

"Now that I think about it, I don't think I would have come back this year if I had gone into Gryffindor. I had a perfect opportunity to escape my parents' ridiculous ideals and go traveling. Get away from the war and everything," I said wistfully.

"Why didn't you?" Regulus asked, finally looking into my eyes.

"My new purpose."

"Which is…?"

I just smiled down at him, shaking my head. We were silent for a moment, him trying to figure out what I wasn't telling him, me lost in memories of the past year.

"You know, as lovely as that speech was," Reg spoke up. "It still means that I'm not courageous. I, apparently, have no purpose to work towards."

"That is what we call an existential crisis," I smiled down at him. "It's something everyone goes through at some point in their life. You just need to figure out what's most important to you. Once you have that it's quite simple. You dedicate your life to it. Some people just want to be happy. Others want to have a family. Did you know that's Narcissa's goal? She wants nothing in this world more than to have a child. In fact, don't give me too much credit for the speech. Narcissa is the one who gave it to me."

I sighed a little, missing my old friend. I knew we would never be close again, not now that she was marrying Lucius Malfoy and I was concentrating on my new goal. We were going two very different directions and the kind Prefect who had comforted a lonely First Year didn't really exist anymore. Neither did the lonely First Year.

"What," he hesitated before pressing on. "What do you think my brother's purpose is?"

I was quiet for a minute before I answered slowly.

"Keeping in mind that I don't really know him and am only going off what I've observed over the years and what you've told me, I think Sirius wants to protect his friends and their happiness. I've noticed that he doesn't seem to get on well with Lily Evans. I think he doesn't like her because she hurts Potter, and he takes that very personally."

Regulus scowled. "Figures he would have such a stupid goal. Bloody imbecile doesn't care about anything but those idiot friends of his."

My lips twitched in amusement. "Is that anger or envy, Reg?"

He grimaced and sat up, resting his head against the back of the bench like he didn't have the energy to support it on his own. "Envy."

"He's your big brother, Reg. Take it from an older sibling, no matter what happens, he loves you," I braced my foot on the bench, leaning my head on my knee with my head turned towards Regulus.

"Maybe before I became a Death Eater, but now? How can he, Soph? I betrayed him."

I didn't know what to say to that. In my gut I knew Sirius still cared about his brother. The way he talked about him to his friends earlier was enough evidence for that. But I don't think Regulus would believe me if I told him. He needed to see it for himself. I could only hope Sirius would prove it to him sooner rather than too late.

"Reg, there's something else we need to talk about," I said. "Things are gonna be different this year. Very different."

He frowned. "What does that mean?"

"It'll become apparent later, but for now what you need to know is that our friendship from here on out will be a lot safer for us both if we keep it a secret."

"What?"

"I'm on a different path now, Reg. One that you're new friends are not going to like. If they know we're friends, it will put us both in danger," I looked deep into his eyes, desperate for him to understand. "I love you and nothing is going to change that, but we need to be careful."

Furrowing his brow, he studied me. Whatever he saw, he nodded, saying: "I'm not sure what you're going on about, but I trust you. I'll be careful."

I smiled, relieved. "Thanks, Reg."

After another minute of companionable silence, he stood and stretched.

"I should get back. I told them I was going to the bathroom. They'll be wondering where I am," he said, bending down to place a soft kiss to the top of my head. "Love you, Soph."

I smiled as he dashed from the compartment, leaving the door open. I lingered for a minute longer, thinking about our conversation. What was my new purpose? I was just following my instincts for now, but who knew where those would lead me? I sighed and rose. At the moment, they were leading me back to the Marauders.

* * *

As I approached the door to my previous compartment, I could hear incomprehensible but undeniably angry voices. Well, mostly just one voice. I sighed again, taking a moment to compose myself before I slid the door open. The voices cut off abruptly and the four boys whirled to face me. Sirius was standing in the middle of the compartment, his arms crossed over his chest and steam practically pouring from his ears. Actually, steam _was_ pouring from his ears. _Must've eaten a Pepper Imp, _I mentally shrugged.

"Hi," I said brightly, brushing past Sirius to reach up to the luggage rack and pulling down a knapsack. I turned back to them, keeping a pleasant smile fixed on my face. "I don't think we've been properly introduced. I'm Sophie."

I pulled my Gryffindor tie and robe, the only pieces of the uniform I wasn't already wearing, from my bag. Quickly pulling the robe on and leaving the tie loose around my neck, I turned back to the four and blinked. All four of them were staring at me. Not blinking. I felt my smile slip a little.

Remus took pity on me and stood. "I'm Remus Lupin. This is James Potter, Sirius Black, and Peter Pettigrew," he gestured at each of the boys as he introduced them. James offered me a hesitant smile, shooting the confused Peter a look. Sirius' glower became more fierce when I met his eyes. "I'm sorry if this is rude, but I thought I was familiar with everyone in Gryffindor in Sixth or Seventh year," he trailed off.

"I'm a transfer," I said simply, not explaining any further. "I'm told we'll be reaching Hogsmeade soon. Would you like me to leave so you boys can get dressed?"

I directed the question to Remus as he seemed to be the only one in a position to respond. Sirius still hadn't moved. Peter was gaping at me. I could only assume it was because he was shocked that his information about me being a Slytherin appeared to be inaccurate. Either that or I was having a wardrobe malfunction the others hadn't noticed yet and he was seeing something I would really rather he wouldn't. I fought the impulse to check. James was stuck between staring dumbly at Sirius, Peter, and myself.

"That would be very kind of you, thanks," Remus said, attempting to subtly guide Sirius away from the middle of the room so I could get past without maneuvering around him like I had before. Sirius wasn't budging, his scowl deepening.

"No problem," I said, again shifting around Sirius like it was perfectly normal behavior. This seemed to irritate him, as he finally spoke up just as I reached the door.

"How do you know Regulus Black?" He demanded.

I slid out the door, twisting back around to close the door. I responded with a casual, "Who?" before closing the door and walking a couple steps. I pressed up against the wall until the curtains were pulled so the boys could get undressed. I stepped back over, leaning against the thin wooden wall next to the door.

"Who the hell does she think she's fooling?" Sirius raged. "She obviously knows Regulus. Why is she lying?"

"I'll admit that's suspicious, but what I want to know is where she transferred from. She was very vague. She introduced herself as Sophie, but she didn't say her last name. She may or may not be the Sophronia Cattorini who Peter says is a Slytherin. I just don't understand how she could have switched Houses. As far as I know, no one has ever done it before. Then again, I've never heard of anybody transferring schools either," Remus said.

"I can't believe Peter's information would be wrong," James said. "He's never been wrong before."

"She's in Slytherin," Peter piped up, his voice squeaking in indignation. "I'm sure of it. I memorized all the Slytherins in our year First year for the Halloween Prank of 1971, codename: Pumpkins Ate My Homework."

A strange mixture of laughter and irritation bubbled in my chest at the memory. That had certainly been a memorable experience for all the Slytherin First Years. On the morning of October Thirty-first, I had woken to the sight of several small Jack-O-Lanterns rifling through mine and my dormmates' bags, munching on our Transfiguration and Charms essays. When we tried to explain what had happened to Professors McGonagall and Flitwick, they had been beyond furious and given us all two weeks of detention. That had been the Marauders' first prank.

"But the way she reacted, she obviously knows him really well. I'll bet she's a spy. She probably stole the Gryffindor uniform. The Slytherins are up to something," Sirius declared.

Again, I wasn't sure whether to scowl or laugh at that.

"I don't know, Padfoot, that seems a bit out there," James said. "Two galleons says she isn't a spy."

"Done," came Sirius' reply.

Oh Merlin, they aren't really betting on me, are they?

"And she seemed perfectly nice. No offense, Peter, but I think you must be wrong this time. I don't think she's a spy either, Sirius," Remus said.

"No, she is definitely Cattorini. I'm sure of it," Peter insisted.

"I don't know, Peter, I think I would remember her," Remus said. "She's pretty hot, I think we'd all remember her."

I couldn't help the heat rising to my cheeks when I heard him say that. I cleared my throat loudly.

"You lot done yet?" My voice had certainly not cracked at all when I said that. A dull thud sounded from the other side of the door.

"Why didn't anyone think to use an Anti-eavesdropping Charm?" James hissed.

I felt the momentum of the train slow as it shifted gears. We would be at Hogsmeade any second. What better way to avoid a direct confrontation?

"On second thought, I'm just going to go to the loo before we get to the station. I'm sure I'll see you guys another time."

I walked away quickly in the opposite direction of the nearest bathrooms, heading to the ones on the next section of the train. Ducking around the corner, I peeked through the glass separating the sections of the train. Sirius barreled out of the door his unbuttoned shirt revealing… an undershirt. How disappointing.

He glanced in either direction, but I'd already moved my out of sight when he had looked my way. I poked my head back to watch him stalk over to the girls' bathroom on that section of the train and pound his fist on it. His mouth was moving, but I couldn't hear what he was saying. A young Hufflepuff, probably a Second Year, opened the door with wide, shiny eyes. She stared at him for a moment before promptly dissolving into sobs and slamming the door in his face. I probably didn't want to know what he'd said. Poor thing.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

I was the first person off the train when it arrived at Hogsmeade Station. Walking over to the carriages, I slowed to a stop when I saw the Thestrals pulling them. The drawings in my Care of Magical Creatures textbook did not do them justice. They were both enormous and intimidating, but they seemed more of an illusion than reality. If I reached out my hand, would I really feel the tattered leather of the wing? Would I really be able to trace those prominent ribs, covered with a thin layer of translucent, scarred skin? The huge creatures looked like the mounts of a Grim Reaper, everything about them radiating decay and death.

Gulping, I ducked into the nearest carriage and pressed myself into the corner furthest from the monstrous horses.

"Move your ass, Marlene, or you're going up to the castle on your own," a harried female voice shouted from outside the carriage. The door opened and a redheaded blur flew in, yanking a small blonde girl with it. As the blur slumped in her seat, ducking below the window, a tall brunette appeared at the door. Helping up the blonde who had tripped on the last step and sprawled across the floor of the carriage, the brunette drawled:

"Lily, would you relax? You said Potter barely even talked to you at the prefects meeting. If he were going to ask you out again, I think he would have done it already," she turned to the blonde. "Alice, are you okay? That was quite the face plant."

The blonde, now settled in the seat across from me, rubbed her wrist. "Yeah, I'm fine. My arm might bruise a little where Lily was clamped on, but yeah, I'm fine."

Lily grimaced. "Sorry, Alice."

The sound of students approaching the carriages was cut off when Lily leaned across Alice to slam the door closed, scanning the surrounding crowd warily. The carriage immediately started up the path to the castle. As everyone settled into their seats, Alice finally looked over and saw me.

"Oh, hello. I'm sorry about our abrupt entrance."

"Hi, it's fine. I'm Sophie Cato," I said, sending her a bright smile.

Lily and Marlene looked over at me in surprise, eyeing my Gryffindor uniform. Lily's eyebrows furrowed.

"I thought I knew just about everyone in Gryffindor, definitely all the girls," she said.

"I'm a transfer."

"Oh, you transferred schools? That's exciting. Where are you from?" Alice said.

"My family is from Italy," I replied carefully. "Headmaster Dumbledore had me sorted over the summer so I wouldn't have to be Sorted with the First Years. He mentioned that I should ask Lily Evans, the Head Girl, if I needed any help. I take it that's you?" I gestured to the gold pin on the front of Lily's robes.

"Yeah, that's me. This is Alice Prewett," she gestured to the petite blonde, who sent me a sweet, dimpled smile and a wave. "And this is Marlene Mckinnon," she pointed to the long-haired brunette flashing me a grin. "Let us know if you need anything. Forewarning, don't ask the Head Boy James Potter. He'll either make fun of you or prank you," Lily said.

"That's totally uncalled for Lily," Marlene scowled. Turning to me she said, "Ignore, Miss Fussypanties—"

"Marlene!"

"—she and Potter don't get along. He's a perfectly nice guy, although I will admit he and his friends are quite the pranksters. It's only for fun. Or if someone really deserves it."

Lily swelled, her face red. Just as she opened her mouth to begin what I'm sure would have been a long and well-rehearsed rant, the carriage drew to a stop.

Stepping out the side of the carriage facing the Black Lake, I could make out the large figure of Rubeus Hagrid, the groundskeeper, and several much smaller figures swarming around the boats on the far shore. Closing my eyes, I took a deep breath of the fresh mountain air. The distant music of leaves rustling in the wind joined the clamor of students departing from the carriages. Opening my eyes again, I took in the sight of the sprawling lawn, the Black Lake reflecting the twilight sky, and Hagrid's hut dwarfed by the immense sea of trees and darkness of the Forbidden Forest.

Muscles in my cheeks pulling as an honest smile stretched across my face, I turned to face Hogwarts Castle. The familiar sight of the lofty towers and the solid stone walls warmed my chest. I craned my neck back to catch sight of the flag bearing the Hogwarts Crest waving from the highest tower.

"I know the size is kind of daunting," Lily's voice came from my left, her arm hooking around my elbow as Alice did the same on my right. "I promise if you need any help navigating, you are in good hands."

"Thanks. Dumbledore showed me around during the summer, but he mentioned that nothing really stays anywhere, so it might not help much."

Marlene joined our chain on Lily's other side and we wove our way through the crowd of people and into the castle. I loosened my arms, expecting the others to drop the chain as the crowd grew, but Lily just tightened her arm around mine and sent me back a smirk. Suddenly, Marlene was pulling us behind her as she barreled through the crowd.

"MOVE IT OR REGRET IT! COMING THROUGH, PEOPLE!" Marlene called out. The crowd ahead parted for her quickly, anyone who was too slow was roughly shoved to the side.

Within seconds we were inside the Great Hall. Muscle memory had me taking a couple steps toward the Slytherin table. Luckily, this only cemented the girls' assumption that I was new to the school.

"The Gryffindor table is on the far right," Alice explained. A group of people at the Hufflepuff table stood and waved for Alice to join. "I'm a Hufflepuff, so I have to sit at the table next to yours for the Feast. See you girls later."

After Alice had left, we made our way to the Gryffindor table, sitting near the middle. A few minutes after we had sat down, Lily stiffened as four boys approached the other side of the table. Arguing quietly, they didn't seem to notice anything around them until Lily spoke up.

"Oh no, Potter, you are not sitting here. I don't want to deal with your shenanigans right now."

The Marauders immediately broke apart. As Sirius's eyes met mine, I felt a smile twitching at my lips. I couldn't help but remember the sight of him tearing out of the train compartment half-dressed. The more I thought about it, the funnier it got, a little smile stretching my cheeks. To my surprise, Sirius didn't get irritated or angry like he had on the train. Instead, he sent me a dazzling grin.

"Well would you look at that. Our little stowaway is rather gorgeous when she smiles," he winked at me.

The smile fell from my lips as my eyebrow rose. "That is quite the turnaround in personality. Have you ever been diagnosed with bipolar disorder?"

James let out a guffaw of laughter before turning his attention to Lily. "Relax, Evans. I didn't even notice you were here. The table is mostly full up. You'll only have to put up with me for an hour or so. It'll be good practice for our prefect meetings."

Lily pursed her lips together and turned to the Head Table, even though it would be several more minutes before all the students were seated and the first years would walk in.

Marlene ignored Lily, instead narrowing her eyes at Sirius. "What do you mean, stowaway? How do you guys know Sophie?"

"She was in our compartment on the train," Sirius shot me another grin. "Sleeping like a dragon in hibernation. DIdn't even twitch when we came in."

I blinked. "Do dragons hibernate?"

"Hmm… I don't think so. Why do you ask?" Sirius said.

"What?"

"You're not making any sense, Sophie. Maybe you need to take another nap," Sirius returned, flashing yet another grin. "You would be surprised by the wonders a little beauty sleep can do for you."

Suddenly, everything clicked together. "Oh, you're trying to do that backhanded flirting thing. That makes so much more sense. I could not figure out why you were acting like such a creep. Now I understand. You think that I'll let something slip just because you're flirting with me? Really, love, you're going to have to do better than that."

Sirius grinned. "What are you so worried about letting slip?"

Damn it.

The doors of the Great Hall opened, admitting the first years. I used the distraction to gather my thoughts. How had he gotten to me so fast? It wasn't a big slip up since they already knew I was hiding something, but I hated the idea that Sirius Black had manipulated me. I had underestimated him.

Two years ago, he had been the center of many girls' attention. I thought I understood it back then. He's always been charming and handsome, and what girl doesn't love a bad boy? Not only that, but he is a mystery. No one outside of the Marauders knows much about his past, only that his relationship with his family is rocky at best. I had too much going on in my own life at the time to indulge in a crush, but I could understand why people flocked around him. Now however…

It's not like I'm falling into a puddle at his feet, but lying to myself won't do me any favors. Sirius Black is charming as hell. That grin of his, the way it showed just the tips of his teeth, pulling more to the left than the right, inviting me to laugh with him, whatever the reason.

A shiver ran down my spine and I shook myself from that line of thought. No. Absolutely not. I am stronger than this. Sirius Black might have half the population of Hogwarts, including the professors, under his spell but I am no stranger to charm. I can't hide away my secrets forever, but I'm sure as charming hell not blurting them out until I decide.

Feeling eyes on me, I looked up to meet the light brown eyes of Remus. I focused on the color, noting the flecks of gold that caught the light of the floating candles, watching the pupils contract and the surface of his eyes dull as he fought the urge to blink. I noted the uneasiness in the furrow of his brow, but didn't let my gaze waver. Studying the skin around his eyes, I noticed a small white scar running from his temple and across his cheekbone. It was hardly noticeable, but the more I looked, the more I saw. One ran from his upper lip to his chin. They looked old, but they must have been painful when he had gotten them.

Remus finally blinked, turning away from me to say something to Peter, who had elbowed him. I didn't miss the quiver in his shoulders like he had shuddered. I smirked to myself. I might dislike my parents, but I sent an unspoken thank you to my mother for my pale green eyes. Looking into them, I knew, could be quite unsettling.

"—roast beef. Hello," a hand waved in front of my nose." Anybody in there? Pass the roast beef, please."

I broke out of my thoughts to notice that the Welcoming feast had already arrived. Now that I noticed, I don't know how I ignored it before. The smell of various warm meats, sauces, and freshly baked bread assaulted my nose, making my mouth water as I realized I hadn't eaten yet today. The fierce growl of my stomach went unnoticed in the din of chatter and clatter of silverware that boomed throughout the Great Hall. Suddenly ravenous, I grabbed several slices of roast beef before passing it to Marlene. Grabbing a healthy amount of everything around me, I dug in.

As I was sinking my teeth in a particularly succulent chicken leg, Lily ground an elbow into my side.

"What?" I mumbled, not bothering to swallow.

"First, gross. Were you raised in a cave? Chew your food," Lily said, nose scrunched.

I rolled my eyes and straightened. Setting down the chicken, I picked up my fork and knife.

"My apologies, Mother. I don't know what came over me to behave like such a barbarian. My sincerest apologies to our other dining companions. I can offer only excuses," I bobbed my head in deference to the others, exactly as I had been taught, and cut a small chunk out of the chicken.

Lily rolled her eyes as Marlene and James laughed. Remus and Peter were still involved in their own conversation, shooting looks at the Head Table while Sirius was focused on my hands. I frowned at him and opened my mouth but was interrupted when Lily elbowed me again.

"What?" I snapped.

She leaned in close. "So you and Remus?" she whispered, wiggling her eyebrows. She shot a look to Remus, who was rummaging in his robes, pulling something out to show Peter under the table.

"What?" I said again.

"As your mother, I'm ordering you to expand your vocabulary," Lily grinned. "You and Remus were kind of gazing into each other's' eyes for like ten minutes. It seemed pretty intense. Is there something going on between you two?"

I blinked at her for a moment. Then, just to bother her:

"What?"

She rolled her eyes again, but looked at me expectantly.

"No. I noticed him looking at me and decided to unnerve him," I gave in, taking a bite of my roll.

"What do you mean 'unnerve him'?"

"It's a trick I picked up when I was trying to teach myself Legillimency. At least it wasn't a total waste of time. You really need an instructor for—"

"Stop going off topic," Lily commanded. "How did you 'unnerve' him?"

"Eye contact is necessary when you start out learning Legillimency. You need to clear your mind and focus on what is going on beneath the surface. I always got distracted by what the eyes looked like, but my test subjects informed me that my eyes freaked them out because it was 'like I was looking into their soul'. Their words, not mine. That is essentially what I was trying to do, but since I never actually succeeded, I think it's just because studying someone with so much concentration creates the illusion of seeing more than they want you to," I rambled.

"So there's nothing going on between you and Remus?"

"He's handsome and he seems sweet, but no. There hasn't really been that spark. You know, like when you're in the same room, you automatically know the other person is there," I replied.

Lily smiled, though she seemed a bit disappointed. "Sounds like someone's in love."

"Love is a strong word, but I've been in a relationship before," I said. "Why? Are you trying to set him up or something?"

"There are plenty of girls who have been interested in him," she sighed. "But he always turns them away. He only dates when the boys push him hard enough."

"They all seem really close. What's the story?"

By this time, dinner had disappeared and been replaced by dessert. I picked out a few of them, glancing at the Marauders to see if they were listening in. They were huddled together again. Periodically, one would poke his head out and scan the people nearest them, presumably checking for eavesdroppers.

"They've all been best friends since first year. They call themselves 'the Marauders'. It's totally lame. They prank people all the time. I'm actually kind of surprised. They'd usually have created some big chaotic mess by now," Lily scowled. "Last year during the Welcoming Feast, they cast some sort of Anti-Gravity charm. Everyone was floating around for three hours before the Professors figured out how to reverse it."

I laughed loud enough to break the boys out of their huddle. "It took three hours to break a simple Anti-Gravity charm?"

Catching onto our conversation, James posed indignantly.

"A simple Anti-Gravity charm? The Marauders never do anything simple. We added modifications to the spell. Thing of beauty, that was," James grinned. "I'm pretty sure Dumbles could have gotten through it much sooner, but he was much more interested in doing cartwheels."

I laughed again.

When Dumbledore stood up a few minutes later, I had to stifle my laughter again as an image of him twirling through the air popped into my head.

As silence fell around the Hall and he began the usual welcome back speech, my gaze wandered over to the Slytherin table, where Regulus was sitting between Severus Snape and Evan Rosier. As Dumbledore's speech went on, he casually glanced around the Slytherin Table. He was looking for me.

"—ask all students to remember that, under no circumstances, are they to enter the Forbidden Forest," Dumbledore said, looking directly at the oblivious Marauders, who had their heads stuck together again. "Our new Defense Against the Dark Arts professor is Professor Amondreus Yant. He is quite experienced in his field and we thank him for agreeing to join us for this year during his sabbatical and wish him a full and rapid recovery."

A middle-aged man with fair, thinning hair seated between Professors Flitwick and Vector, rose. Half of his head and one eye were wrapped in white gauze, but didn't hide the entire wound. Jagged lines crossed his face, the torn skin gleaming red. Either he had refused magical medical attention or whatever caused those claw marks is resistant to magic.

There was a decent amount of applause before he sat down.

"And we shall close out the feast with our euphonious school song. Please join me in whatever tune you so desire."

_Hogwarts, Hogwarts, Hoggy Warty Hogwarts,_

_Teach us something please,_

Overlapping voices filled the hall, everyone singing a different note. Suddenly, the air behind the head table erupted in sparkling colored powder coalescing into the image of a fifteen foot old man. His face was lined with wrinkles and he leaned heavily on a cane. He was entirely composed of a random conglomeration of yellow, purple, and blue glitter.

_Whether we be old and bald,_

The old man did a little jig with his cane before being joined by a small orange and green boy wearing old-fashioned shorts displaying knees with patches of red glitter.

_Or young with scabby knees,_

_Our heads could do with filling,_

Both of the images took a bow, tipping their hats to reveal empty space where scalp and brains should be.

_With some interesting stuff,_

_For now they're bare and full of air,_

_Dead flies and bits of fluff,_

Like a shot being expelled from a cannon, small bits of glittering white cotton and black specks exploded from the dancing figures heads straight into the air and spreading over the laughing and singing crowd.

_So teach us things worth knowing,_

_Bring back what we've forgot,_

_Just do your best, we'll do the rest,_

The old man and the boy twirled and when they were once again facing the crowd, their faces were disfigured and gaunt, but still cartoonlike. They raised their arms and staggered forward with mouths agape.

_And learn until our brains all rot_

As the last line rang out, the zombie dancers erupted into clouds of glitter that stuck to everything they touched. Bedecked with a grin and purple sparkles I turned to an equally amused and bedazzled Marlene, though the brunette was covered in yellow and blue. Marlene gestured to the conspicuously clean Marauders.

"Was this you guys?" I asked.

Sirius grinned and winked.

Biting my lip, I looked down at the table. In a split second decision, the small pile of red glitter that had been sitting in front of me by my plate was hurtling through the air before colliding with his cheek. Lily, whose face had been caught between a scowl and a grin, doubled over in laughter.

Marlene quickly joined me by picking up two handfuls of glitter and tossing them at Remus and James. The Marauders all traded looks before returning fire at the two girls, who quickly hid by a still laughing Lily. Lily yelped as she was pelted with even more glitter. Like a ripple in a pond, the glitter fight spread out from the small group at the Gryffindor table to the entire Hall. I even spotted Professor Sprout dumping a plate of pink glitter on Hagrid's beard.

* * *

About an hour later, Marlene and Lily had guided me up to the Gryffindor common room and to the Seventh Year girls' dormitory. After cleaning off the glitter, the other girls fell asleep quickly, but I stayed up for a while, thinking about my first day as a Gryffindor.

Recalling the bitter feelings I had while watching the Marauders laugh and joke with each other, I felt a little guilty for my jealousy. They and the other girls had made me laugh more tonight than I had in months.

I frowned. Should I be having so much fun, laughing so much, when Mel had only been gone for a few months? It felt flippant to be happy when she wasn't here, but it also felt so right to laugh when I'm with my new acquaintances. They were goofy and fun.

I fell into a restless sleep, a war still raging in my dreams. Happiness or respectfulness? The gaunt face of my little sister in her last moments, with her breath rasping in her throat haunted me while the handsome face and twinkling grey eyes of a certain Marauder taunted me.

* * *

**_Dear beloved Readers,_**

**_I'd love to hear your guys' theories and opinions on the story. I won't do to many author's notes because I personally don't like reading them, but I'd love to hear what you guys are thinking while you're reading! I can do more author's notes if that's what you want._**

**_Sorry for the long delay. I was really curious about the kind of reception my writing would get, so I posted this story as an experiment. I'm really loving the response so far. It's very encouraging._**

**_Thanks for reading! _**

**_Jae_**


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